The invention relates generally to cooling components of a medical imaging device, and more particularly, to cooling components of a medical imaging device that are rotatable about an axis.
A medical imaging device such as a Computed Tomography (CT), or a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) system, is used to generate images of body parts. The CT system includes an annular gantry that receives a patient within a gantry bore and rotates about the patient. The gantry includes an X-ray source to project a fan shaped X-ray beam extending along the plane of rotation of the gantry toward the bore. The X-ray beam passes through the patient where it is then received by a detector array. The detector array is held on the gantry opposite to the X-ray source with respect to the bore. The detector array receives the X-rays that pass through the patient's body. As a result, raw data is acquired by the detector array in response to the received X-rays.
The gantry of the CT system includes electronic components, which help in the data acquisition process. These electronic components control the rotation of the gantry, tilting of the gantry for angled images, and other functions such as turning the X-ray beam ON and OFF.
The electronic components and the detector array may be temperature sensitive. Hence, in typical CT systems, thermal controls may be utilized to prevent image quality errors due to temperature drift. Further, the electronic components and X-ray tube generate significant heat, which may cause air temperature to rise inside the gantry, thereby leading to temperature drift.
In particular, during a scanning operation, the air temperature inside the gantry may change by several degrees in a matter of seconds. In addition, variation in a temperature of a room, where the CT system is installed, may also cause changes in the gantry air temperature.
Additionally, in current CT systems, the electronic components may be placed closer to the highly temperature sensitive X-ray detector, in order to reduce circuit noise thereby increasing the signal to noise ratio. This causes the cooling and temperature control of the electronics to directly impact the control of the sensitive X-ray detector.